Semoball

Malden football squad looks to rely on veterans and newcomers in 2020

Photo by Dustin Ward, staff
The football squad takes the field for practice Friday afternoon.

The Malden Green Wave football program enters its 2020 campaign with a balance of veterans and youngsters ready to contribute on the gridiron.

Malden has 11 seniors, six juniors, 14 sophomores, and eight freshmen on its high school roster.

“We’ve got some veteran guys coming back that have been in our system for a while,” Malden football coach Justin Peden said. “But we’ve also got a large group of underclassmen and some new kids out that haven’t played football in the past. We’ve been working the halls trying to get guys out. Our numbers are pretty good and our class breakdown is pretty even.”

One newcomer looking to make an immediate impact is freshman Quamareous Farmer who is the projected starting quarterback for the Green Wave.

“I don’t necessarily like starting freshmen at quarterback but this kid has the skill set,” Peden said. “He’s built to be a quarterback and has the arm. He’s been working hard in the offseason and I think he can handle it. Starting him at quarterback also allows us to put our skills players in the positions they need to play at for us to be successful.”

Farmer will have the luxury of working with a talented group of veteran receivers.

“Our receiver group is probably our best group in terms of depth,” Peden said. “We’ve got Drew Blankinship coming back who had close to 1,000 yards of receptions last season in seven games. Coy Wade is also coming back on the outside. He had almost 1,000 all-purpose yards. We’ve also got three-year starters Chris Castillo and Lamar Smith coming back. Ryland Bell, D’Angelo Austin, and Du’Marques Jones are also in the mix. We are deep across the board at receiver.”

Newcomer Kene Davis is projected to be the top running threat for the Green Wave.

“He’s a sophomore that didn’t play last year because of an injury,” Peden said. “But he’s an electric player that is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. He’s worked his butt off during this quarantine to get better.”

Junior Tyrone Morris, sophomore Gage Cotton, and senior Chris Castillo are also threats to move the ball on the ground.

“They will also be in the mix to get some touches,” Peden said. “We’ve got a pretty good stable at the running back position right now."

The Malden offense will be moving the ball behind an offensive line that has been altered due to a couple of injuries.

“Our offensive line has been a big surprise,” Peden said. “Our best lineman, Marcellus Fleming, suffered an injury over the summer and he’s probably not going to be able to play this season. That was kind of a blow. Our all-conference center, Thomas Hill, also suffered an injury during baseball and he’s not going to be able to play. You would think you would freak out a little bit about those injuries but I actually think we are pretty strong up front.”

Top candidates to start on the offensive line are sophomore Ian Pickard, sophomore Landon Sturdevant, junior Jalias Anderson, sophomore Chayse Tapp, and senior Tucker Coleman.

“We’ve have had some younger guys step up and they work together really well as a group," Peden said. "Ian Pickard will be our center. He’s a smart kid that will anchor our line. Our guards are likely to be sophomore Landon Sturdevant, who is a big, strong kid with quick feet, and junior Jalias Anderson who is coming off of an injury last season. We’ve also got sophomore Chayse Tapp at left tackle who is a six-four, 270 and could potentially be a D-1 player. Senior Tucker Coleman is another returning starter at right tackle.”

One area the Green Wave are looking to sharpen their skills at this season is special teams.

Seniors Coy Wade and Dom Leslie are currently battling for the opportunity to handle kickoffs.

“Coy Wade or Dom Leslie will likely handle kickoffs,” Peden said. “They are fighting for that spot right now. We are trying to make sure we put a lot of emphasis on special teams because last year I think it cost us a couple wins.”

Senior Drew Blankinship is expected to handle the punting responsibilities for the third straight season.

“Drew Blankinship will probably be our punter,” Peden said. “He’s a good punter that has punted for us for the last two years. He has also played quarterback in the past so we can run fake punts with me when we want.”

Photo by Dustin Ward, staff
The Malden football team conducts a practice Friday afternoon.

Peden plans on adopting a more aggressive style on defense this season.

“We are going to switch our defensive philosophy this season and allow our players to be more aggressive,” Peden said. “We feel like we have several kids that can fly to the ball.”

Senior Diego Anderson, senior Tucker Coleman, and sophomore Landon Sturdevant are expected to anchor the defensive line.

“Diego Anderson will be our nose tackle,” Peden said. “He’s a big guy that can move pretty well. We will also have Tucker Coleman and Landon Sturdevant as our ends.”

Leslie is expected to play middle linebacker.

“He’s a hard-hitter and thumper,” Peden said. “He likes contact and comes downhill hard.”

Other contributors at the linebacker position likely to force the issue on defense are sophomore Cotton, Blankinship, Smith, and Hunter Wills.

“We are going to come at people and try to force some turnovers,” Peden said. “We’ve got some good quick linebackers this season.”

Rounding out the defense is junior D’Angelo Austin and sophomore Ryland Bell.

“D’Angelo was a second-team all-conference player for us last season as a defensive back,” Peden said. “He’ll be a good one for us at that position. We will also probably have Ryland Bell at corner. Our are safety spot is still up in the air. We haven’t made a final decision on what we are going to do there but I’m really excited about what we are going to do defensively.”

It remains unclear if Malden will compete in Class 1 or Class 2 this season following reclassification. MSHSAA will not announce district and class assignments for football until at least September.

“We will play the hand we are dealt until they change the cards,” Peden said. “It will be interesting to see how things fall.”

Malden will have the first opportunity to display its talent Aug. 28 when it hosts Kennett. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

“We open with Kennett which will be a crazy tough game,” Peden said. “Coach Wyatt always has his guys prepared and I know they’ve been doing a lot over the summer. We are taking things a day at a time, working on fundamentals with our younger guys, and getting done what we can to get ready for our season opener.”

Photo by Dustin Ward, staff
Pictured is the Malden high school football team.

MALDEN VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateOpponentLocation
8/28KennettHome
9/4KellyHome
9/11CharlestonAway
9/18ChaffeeAway
9/25Scott CityHome
10/2East PrairieAway
10/9PortagevilleAway
10/16HaytiHome
10/23DexterHome
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